This is a short work for the contest on our Bleach discord server. If you wish to join the link is on my bio, or just message me! The discord is for every fan of Bleach no matter what ship! We're pretty active too!
The physical attraction of humans was a foreign concept to Rukia.
Granted it had never been a topic she'd needed to explore. Not until she found herself trapped for months in a gigai in the world of the living. As she went through the motions of "playing human" she began to realise that attraction was an important factor in the day to day human life.
It could be seen in the effort a girl would take to get ready in the morning. In the way a boy would push himself just that little bit harder in gym class. In the thought process behind what was worn, what was eaten, how the genders spoke to each other. Even the books, movies, magazines and other forms of entertainment seemed to home in on this primary focus.
It was baffling to Rukia.
Every Shinigami wore a standard uniform and those uniforms didn't vary depending on the gender. Every Shinigami kept their natural hair colour, skin tone and didn't feel the need to try and alter either or apply a mask of art material to their faces to appear attractive.
Attraction just wasn't a priority to a soldier.
They consumed food only for the process of fuelling their bodies. They worked and trained hard because if they didn't it meant losing a war. They were told when to go to bed, when to wake up and their entire schedule for the day.
Rukia had grown up in a different world. Served over one hundred years of her life in that world and so found the concept of physical attraction being a key motivator incredulous.
'Is something going on between you and Kurosaki-kun?' one of the girls asked Rukia casually as they sat eating lunch under the warm afternoon sun. Rukia blinked at the girl for a few seconds, seemingly obtuse before the meaning of the question actually struck her.
'What? No!' Rukia defended quickly, but her moment of hesitation did not go unnoticed by her peers. Mistaking her pause for deeper meaning than blatant confusion, one of the other girls grinned knowingly at her.
'Is he a good kisser?' she asked, and Rukia watched a pained expression flicker across Orihime's face before the young girl managed to cover it up.
'There's nothing going on between Ichigo and I,' Rukia huffed, 'really, he's an idiot.'
'A hot idiot though,' the first girl sighed and Rukia frowned.
It was moments like these, and the battle with the juice box and straw, where Rukia realised just how out of touch with the living world she really was. How insignificant the trials and trepidations of a human were that they could focus so much of their attention and energy toward something as mundane as physical attraction.
Orihime fired Rukia another look that reminded her vividly of Lieutenant Matsumoto and Rukia realised… that maybe physical attraction did play a role in the Seireitei, just not as big a role as here in the world of the living.
Now that Rukia was forced to consider it… she could actually remember a time when she held a physical attraction for someone, Kaien Shiba. It had burned in her so deeply that it seemed to fuel every waking moment she had. When Rukia found out he was married, her attraction sizzled out, because she was just an enamoured with his wife.
Rukia began to think of all the souls she'd spent time with. Renji… there was something attractive about him. Perhaps the sharp jawline, perhaps the way his muscles flexed under his uniform as he worked out.
Rukia knew her brother was an attractive man too. Lieutenant Matsumoto had made a few comments about it which Rukia took as teasing at the time, but she had to admit her brother was a pristine soul. He had a youthful appearance with angular features and it was a wonder to the servants why he never remarried.
Rukia thought of other souls. Souls she wasn't attracted to. Older souls, souls who had teased her or made fun of her at the academy. There were ugly souls too.
'She's thinking about this way too much,' a distant voice pulled Rukia back and she blinked at the girls. Orihime's food lay untouched on her lap and Rukia sighed.
'There's nothing going on between Ichigo and I,' she stated firmly, 'like I said, he's an idiot.'
'Who's an idiot?' a familiar voice spoke behind them. Rukia tilted her chin up, seeing Ichigo towering over them from behind. His dark hazel eyes bore into hers and she could see the dazzling sun glinting through the vivid orange of his hair from this angle.
'You,' she said.
'If you can't say something nice,' he started with a sigh. Ichigo rarely blew up and shouted in front of Orihime but Rukia knew for a fact if they were alone that's exactly what he would have done. Ichigo straightened and ran a hand through the very hair that had drawn Rukia's attention.
His skin looked darker in the sunlight, almost olive and stood out stark against the contrast of his white shirt. Ichigo had been filling out since they'd started training and Rukia was only now noticing. His arms were fuller, his chest broader than when they met. He looked less lanky and much more defined, like he actually suited the height compared to when she first stepped through the wall of his room.
'You're staring,' Ichigo said it with a frown and a few of the girls giggled.
'Only because you're a bigger idiot than usual,' Rukia sighed and turned away from everyone before the heat could creep up her face and give her away.
There was something to this physical attraction of humans, she concluded.
The longer Rukia stayed in the world of the living, the more she seemed predisposed to the urges of a human life.
It was in that moment, with the prickle of authority on her skin that Rukia realised:
She'd have to return to the Seireitei.
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